The fortunate are not always human. The forests of Demon Island were everywhere, but we'd just traversed a stretch of open ground, where the giant spiders held little advantage.
Once we entered the dense woods, however, the creatures moved with unsettling ease, gliding between trees on their webs and casting wide nets that ensnared the unwary. Gripping my heavy machine gun, I saw the remains of unlucky comrades, strung up by spider silk, their lifeless forms already prey to these grotesque monsters. The sight drove me to squeeze the trigger and unleash a barrage of bullets, driven by both anger and instinct.
With the precision of dynamic vision and a flawless accuracy skill, I quickly adapted to the machine gun's rhythm, and soon, fire spewed forth, mowing down any massive spider that dared approach us. Yet, if we hoped to traverse this forest, the spiders were not our only obstacle. Spider silk, spun from these creatures, could lift even steel, ensnaring its prey in a near-unbreakable hold and rendering escape almost impossible.
Even our Thunderstorm Tank dared not power through at full throttle. As we ventured deeper, more and more trainees were caught in the thick webs or overcome by the swarm. Unlike us, shielded by the tank, most were engaged in desperate, close-quarter battles. Suddenly, a large, ash-colored spider suspended a tall white man upside down, preparing to sink its fangs into him. Without hesitation, I aimed the machine gun and blasted it to pieces, its broken form crashing to the forest floor.
"Hey! Throw us all your cards and treasures, and we'll get you down!" Wolf King shouted from the tank, seizing the chance to bargain. The man, dangling from the trees, spat back, "Scavengers! I'd sooner be spider bait than surrender my treasures to you!"
Wolf King simply shrugged, retreating into the tank, unfazed as we rolled away. But the man's voice grew desperate. "Alright! Get me down, and I'll give up everything!" Wolf King sighed, shaking his head. "Too late, my friend. Say your prayers—we'll avenge you, though." His pleas became panicked screams. Unable to bear it any longer, I turned back and fired, reducing the second giant spider to bits.
Wolf King glanced over with a smirk, half-mocking. "One thing you lack as a fighter, King, is calm. Though I can't read your limits, you've got a ways to go."
"I'm just an ordinary high school student. My worst crime was dissecting a bug once, and my proudest fight was against a chicken. You're asking too much," I retorted, exasperated. Wolf King chuckled. "One day, you'll understand what a warrior needs to be. For now, though, we wait for him to toss us the goods before rescuing anyone."
As the three of us—Wolf King, Hachii True Charm, and myself—looked at each other, a silent tension hung in the air. "Who claims the spoils?" The question floated unspoken.
"I don't need combat cards," Wolf King said, "but I'll take his Demon Island bank card. I'm still practically broke after only getting fifty thousand off the last two I killed." True Charm hesitated before saying, "If he has any bladed weapons, could I take those? I'm at a disadvantage without my usual arms." Raising my hands, I agreed, "I only need martial arts cards; let's divide the rest once we have it."
Our captives had their wariness. Despite my position as the weakest, a few skirmishes and last night's duel seemed to have cast a shadow over what they thought they knew of me. After dispatching the spider that held him captive, we claimed his spoils. The swordsman True Charm kept his European longsword, even if it wasn't a perfect fit. Wolf King pocketed the bank card, and I took his space card and healing card, finding them more useful than high-level ones.
The man's companions were all dead, so we brought him along, appointing him as our new artilleryman. Surprisingly, his military skills far outmatched ours, and he swiftly cleared a path through the spider-infested forest. But our Thunderstorm Tank's ammo soon ran dry, halting our progress halfway through.
Surveying the dense forest webs, Wolf King gave a resigned laugh. "These webs are tougher than Spider-Man's handiwork. We'll have to hoof it from here." True Charm abandoned his unused cannon, more comfortable with his own weapons, and leapt down from the tank. Wolf King loaded his machine gun, ready to march on.
The rescued man shouted defiantly, "I'm not leaving this tank. You can walk if you want—I'm staying right here."